1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure for preventing the wrong assembly of grommets of a right and left common use type which are used to cover two wire harnesses penetrating not only through two body panels of a vehicle such as a car but also through left and right opening/closing body panels respectively mounted openably and closably on the left and right sides of their associated body panels by hinge portions.
2. Related Art
In a vehicle such as a car, there are assembled to the vehicle two grommets which are respectively used to cover and protect their associated wire harnesses penetrating through their associated body panels and opening/closing body panels respectively mounted openably and closably on the left and right sides of their associated body panels by hinge portions. While the two grommets are respectively assembled to the right and left sides of the vehicle, in order to enhance the manufacturing efficiency of the grommets and to reduce the manufacturing cost thereof, the right and left grommets are structured so as to have the same shape, which makes it possible to use the grommets in common on the right and left sides of the vehicle. As a result of this, however, there is a fear that a right side grommet and a left side grommet can be assembled to the wrong sides of the vehicle. Thus, it is necessary to take measures to prevent the wrong assembly of these commonly usable grommets.
Conventionally, there is disclosed a structure shown in FIGS. 2 (A) and (B) to prevent the wrong assembly of the grommets of a right and left common usable type. According to this structure, the outer peripheries of wire harnesses 5, which are disposed so as to penetrate not only through two body panels 1 but also through two opening/closing body panels (door panels) 4 respectively mounted openably and closably on the right and left sides of their associated body panels 1 by hinge portions 2, 3, are covered by the wire harness covering cylindrical bodies 7 of right and left grommets 6 having the same shape; the two end portions of the wire harness covering cylindrical bodies 7 are inserted through fit holes 8, 9 formed in the respective body panels 1, 4; one-end sides of the wire harness covering cylindrical bodies 7, in fit portions 10 formed integrally on the outer peripheries of the wire harness covering cylindrical bodies 7, are respectively fitted into their corresponding fit holes 8 of the body panels 1; and, the-other-end sides of the wire harness covering cylindrical bodies 7, in fit portions 11 formed integrally on the outer peripheries of the wire harness covering cylindrical bodies 7, are respectively fitted into their corresponding fit holes 9 of the opening/closing body panels 4. In this grommet assembling structure, to prevent the wrong assembly of the right and left grommets, in the grommet 6 which is to be mounted on the left side of the vehicle, there is formed a display portion 12 which consists of a character such as xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d indicating the left-side mounting and, in the grommet 6 to be mounted on the right side, there is formed a display portion 12 consisting of a character such as xe2x80x9cRxe2x80x9d indicating the right-side mounting. Also, the fit portions 10, 11 of the right and left grommets 6 are formed in common in shape, that is, the fit portions 10, 11 are formed in a circular shape and in a substantially elliptical shape, respectively; and, the fit holes 8, 9 of the body panels 1, 4, into which these fit portions 10, 11 are to be fitted, are also respectively formed so as to correspond to the fit portions 10, 11 in shape, that is, as shown in FIGS. 3 (A) and (B), they are formed in a circular shape and in a substantially elliptical shape, respectively.
However, according to the conventional grommet wrong assembly preventive means, the display portions 12, which, in the case of the grommet 6 to be mounted on the left side, consists of a character such as xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d indicating the left-side mounting and also which, in the case of the grommet 6 to be mounted on the right side, consists of a character such as xe2x80x9cRxe2x80x9d indicating the right-side mounting, are respectively provided simply in the form of carved seals. Therefore, in case where the right and left grommets 6 are assembled while the display portions thereof are read in error, because the fit portions 10, 11 of the right and left grommets 6 are common in shaped, that is, they are respectively formed in a circular shape and in a substantially elliptical shape, there is a fear that the right and left grommets 6 can be assembled in the wrong state. This means that the above-mentioned conventional grommet wrong assembly preventive means, fundamentally, is not be able to prevent the wrong assembly of the grommets positively.
In view of the above, it is an object of the invention to provide a grommet wrong assembly preventive structure which can prevent more positively the wrong assembly of grommets of a right and left common use type.
In attaining the above object, according to the invention, there is provided, for use in a structure for assembling grommets of a right and left common use type, in which the outer peripheries of two wire harnesses respectively disposed so as to penetrate through their associated body panels and through their associated opening/closing panels openably and closably mounted on the right and left sides of the body panels are covered by the wire harness covering cylindrical bodies of right and left grommets respectively formed so as to have the same shape, the two end portions of the wire harness covering cylindrical bodies are inserted through fit holes respectively formed in the body panels, and at least one-end sides of the wire harness covering cylindrical bodies, in fit portions formed integrally on the outer peripheries of the wire harness covering cylindrical bodies of the right and left grommets, are fitted into the corresponding ones of the fit holes of the body panels,
a grommet wrong assembly preventive structure, provided in that each of the fit portions of the right and left grommets extends across a portion of its associated wire harness covering cylindrical body in the peripheral direction thereof, and the two sides of the extending-across fit portion with the associated wire harness covering cylindrical body as the boundary thereof are formed asymmetric in shape; when the right and left grommets are positioned in the same direction, the fit portion of the right grommet is set so as to be rotated 180xc2x0 with respect to the fit portion of the left grommet; in the right and left grommets, there are respectively formed display portions which can be used to specify the position and direction of the grommets or distinguish the assembling sides of the right and left grommets from each other when assembling the same; and, the fit holes of the right and left body panels into which the fit portions of the right and left grommets are to be fitted, on the right and left sides of a vehicle body, are disposed so as to be rotated 180xc2x0 with respect to each other in correspondence to the above setting of the fit portions of the right and left grommets.
Thanks to this structure, even in case where the display portions are misread and thus the right and left grommets are going to be assembled in the wrong way, the fit portions of the grommets do not coincide in shape with the fit holes of the body panels into which the fit portions are to be fitted, thereby being able to prevent the wrong assembly of the grommets.